Contents

History

Mengjiang flag (before 1939)

Mengjiang flag (from 1941)

Formed on 12 May 1936, the Mongol Military Government (蒙古軍政府)
was renamed in October 1937 as the Mongol United Autonomous
Government (蒙古聯盟自治政府). On 1 September 1939, the predominantly Han Chinese governments
of South Chahar and North Shanxi were merged with the Mongol United
Autonomous Government, creating the new Mengjiang United Autonomous
Government (蒙疆聯合自治政府).

The capital was established at Chan Pei, near Kalgan (Zhangjiakou),
with the government's control extending around Hohhot. On 4 August 1941, it was again renamed:
the Mongolian Autonomous Federation (蒙古自治邦). After Wang Jingwei formed a
new government for the Republic of China in
Nanjing, Mengjiang was
placed under its control, though in remained completely
autonomous.

Toyonori Yamauchi: Political advisor
tasked with ensuring that Mengjiang "inherit the great spirit of
Genghis Khan and retake the territories that belong to Mongolia,
completing the grand task of reviving the prosperity of the
nationality".

Name

Mengjiang, meaning "Mongolian Territories," came from
the acceptance speech of chairmanship by Demchugdongrub:

To recover the territories originally owned by the
Mongolians

(收復蒙古固有疆土)

Economy

The Japanese established the Bank of Mengjiang that printed its
own currency without years
on it. Some traditional local money shops also made currency with
Chinese year numbering system, such as the
Jiachen Year (甲辰年), on it.

The Japanese had mineral
interests in their created state of Mengjiang. One example was
Japanese put in production the iron mine in Hsuanhua-Lungyen with a
reserve of 91,645,000 tonnes in 1941; and analyzed the reserves of
coal in land, one 504 tonnes and one potential production of
202,000 of tonnes (1934).

The Mengjiang iron deposits were exported directly to Japan. At
the same time, Japanese seeking the coal reserves of Suiyuan
(another Mengjiang occupied sector) including one of 417 million
tonnes and one potential extraction of 58,000 tonnes in 1940 for
future investments in that area too.

Demographic

By the Mengjiang racial equality imigration policy in their
homeland, Mongolians formed a minority in Mengjiang,
whose largest ethnic group were Han Chinese. There were also Koreans, Japanese, Manchus, White
Russians and smaller minorities. Although intended to harness
Mongol nationalism to support Japanese aims, this goal was back to
China by the Soviet
Invasion. Soviet
Union expelled and interned Koreans, Japanese and White
Russians to Siberia in order to work in labor camps; Han
Chinese population later grew to 80 percent.

Military

The Mengjiang National Army was the Japanese created "native army"
organized in Mengjiang; not to be confused with the Mongol
Army. It was a Kwantung Army special force group under
direct command, having native commanders alongside Japanese
commanding officers, as in other auxiliary outer sections of the
Kwantung Army.

The purpose of the army was to support any eventual Japanese operations against Outer Mongolia,
or the north China areas, and to act as a local security force,
with the local police forces. It also had the duty of protecting
Prince De
Wang, the head of state, and the Mengjiang native establishment
and local government properties.

History

In 1936, the Inner Mongolian Army was armed
with Mauser rifles and they had 200 machine guns: mostly the Czech
ZB-26 and a
few Swiss Sig. Model 1930
sub-machinegun for Teh Wang's 1,000 bodyguard troops. They had 70
artillery pieces, mostly mortars and a few captured Chinese
mountain and field guns of a variety of types (making ammo and
spare parts a problem). The few tanks and armored cars were
captured Chinese vehicles crewed by Japanese.

After the Suiyuan Campaign, the Mengjiang National Army was
rebuilt from the defeated remnants of the Inner Mongolian Army, the
new eight Mongol cavalry Divisions were 1,500 men strong, in three
regiments of 500 men. Each regiment were to have three Saber
companies and a Machinegun Company of 120 men. However these
divisions actually ranged in size from 1,000 men to 2,000 men (8th
Division).

In 1939, the ethnic Chinese troops in the Mongol Divisions were
brigaded together in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Divisions and turned into
the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Ch'ing An Tui Brigades of the "Mongolian
Pacification Force" and used against various guerrilla groups.

In 1943, the Mongol 4th and 5th Divisions were combined to form
a new 8th Division and the old 7th and 8th Divisions formed the new
9th Division. Strength of the army was between 4,000-10,000 men,
all cavalry at this time and had little heavy equipment and that
controlled by the Japanese.

The Mengjiang state also had 5 Defense Divisions in 1943, made
up of local militia and other security forces, nominally of three
regiments. Apparently only one of these regiments in each division
was capable of operations. In 1944, the Japanese reorganized them
along with the Chahar garrisons into four Divisions of 2,000 men
each.

At the end of the war, a total of six divisions (two Cavalry and
four Infantry), three Independent Ch'ing An Tui Brigades and a "Pao
An Tui" Security Force Regiment made up the Army.